Who knew such a simple sentence would bring so much horror to a person’s face? “Table for one please.” This was the sentence I uttered to the hostess at the Olive Garden, who looked around behind me to see if anyone was following me. “Will your party be joining you?” she said. “No. The party is already here,” I said with a grin. “We only have large booths available, so do you want to wait until a smaller table is available or simply sit at the bar?” she stated wearily. “I’ll take a booth please.” “Seriously?!” escaped from her mouth. I simply smiled and followed the waiter, who also seemed very confused, to the largest booth available. I bounced around until I was in the middle and satisfied. Five waiters/waitresses, and a manager, each stopped to ask if my other party would be joining me soon. When I stated, “No party. Just me!” with a smile, the look of horror that ran across their faces was priceless! I mean seriously, when did enjoying one’s own company turn into such a horror film for anyone to watch? Don’t get me wrong, I panicked just like you do when someone first suggested that I spend some alone time with myself and learn to love me. I can’t do that! People will look at me! They will know I am alone, and they will think there’s something “wrong with me”! But sometimes it’s only by getting a little uncomfortable that we discover truly amazing things about ourselves. I did not have this confidence on my first attempt. I took a book to make sure that no one thought I was alone. I didn’t want anyone thinking that I had no friends or was that stereotypical crazy cat lady. When I arrived home, my first thought was, “You know what? That wasn’t so bad.” So I tried again. This time I didn’t take a book, and I added a movie afterwards! Why had I not done this before?! My love for quality time with me continued to grow to the point that sometimes I now prefer the quietness of myself to the company of others. I also realized that I was the best date ever! Great company, funny, and I am always anxious to see me again. HA! So when did society decide that this was a bad thing? Are we so caught up with what people think of us that we can’t even appreciate ourselves? And by people, I mean complete strangers who couldn’t care less who you are or what you’re doing. When I suggested to a friend that she should just see the movie alone since she couldn’t find anyone to go with, she protested, “Oh I can’t do that!” “Umm, why not? It’s pitch black, and I promise you that even if the movie is absolutely horrible, people still won’t be assessing your apparent friendlessness.” It wasn’t until I stuck my toe outside of my comfort zone that I learned I’m truly a catch! And quality time to reflect on and appreciate who I am and who I am becoming has become my favorite part of the day. This is not to say that I don’t love hanging out with my friends and family. But I learn a lot about myself by simply taking myself out on a date. I encourage everyone to try it at least once! And from a girl who once believed, like you, that she wasn’t brave enough to enjoy time alone, it’s now a pleasure to confidently say, “Table for one, please!” #SingleHoodRules#SurvivingOurStorms

If you ever get the chance to do the Cats & Mats Yoga Class, do it. It will make you giggle, while you get a great workout, and you’ll get to share your love with furry friends that deserve your time and attention. Thank you Cindy, for inviting me to play with these fabulous creatures, and teaching me some new yoga moves. I look forward to doing it again. You know of my love for all furry creatures. When Cats & Mats Yoga Class showed up on Facebook® Events, there was nothing that was going to stop me from checking this out. I grabbed my yoga mat, and headed to old Independence. It always makes me smile to drive through streets with which I was familiar as a teenager. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew it would be a blast either way. I walked through the door and was immediately greeted by an orange, tabby infant that squeaked at me with big eyes. He took off running, skidding into the curtains across the room. That was my first meeting with Mufasa, one of the many furry friends that the Great Plains SPCA brought. I loved every second of it. From kittens to young cats, they watched, “helped,” and snuggled with us as we did yoga. What a great way to start the day! Relaxing and invigorating yoga, mixed with an opportunity to bond with the amazing personalities of these little furry comrades. How could it get any better? Cindy Newland, another friend of Belize Yoga, volunteers at the Great Plains SPCA. She manages Intentionally Eat and is another yoga goddess. We also share the love of blogging. ​ So there I was…doing downward dog, with Mufasa under my feet. Another kitten stared at me, making it difficult to swing my leg through into Warrior 1. Eyes of curiosity watched my every move…from the middle of mat, of course. Any bridge position enticed Mufasa to run frantically through the arches we formed with our bodies. During meditation, I felt some tiny paws crawl over my leg. When I rose to take a peek, there was a tiny, black, little buddy staring at me with a tilted head. We watched these kittens take over our mats, skid across the wood floor, climb the curtains, and check out the scenery outside the window. For some reason Mufasa was fascinated with crawling under everyone’s belly while we were in child’s pose. It was hard to continue doing yoga rather than stopping to cradle this tiny ball of curiosity, and unconditional love. These furry companions were stealing our hearts. We learned more about the Great Plains SPCA. Not only do these animals need homes, but a simple hour or more of showing them love will help them do better when they get a home. Most of the Great Plains SPCA animals, dogs and others included, come from such situations where there has been hoarding, or abuse and neglect. They need to learn that people are okay and that they won’t be hurt again. The animals need to learn the power of human love and compassion. I was tempted to take one home, of course, but had already reached my allowable limit of pets in apartment life. I had to pull myself away with a reminder that the pets I already owned count on me for their care and affection. Besides, I doubt I have the energy for another baby kitten like Mufasa anyway. Goodness!​#SurvivingOurStorms#ChasingStormiAdventures

I had such a great time while collecting money for a much needed service. Thank you CASA for keeping our neglected and abused children of Jackson County safe. Your work does not go unnoticed. After watching movies like Avengers, Captain America, Thor, Spiderman, and more, I realized that there was a lot that went into becoming a superhero. You must start with the following…1. Choose your super power. Remember this power will define you and all that you are. Think of the given talents that you already possess. If you don’t feel you have any, then simply pick something you would like to master.2. Design a costume in which you can easily fight evil, and that won’t strangle you while wearing, and will become a symbol of your secret identity.3. Choose your weakness. Let’s face it, everyone has a weakness and that’s okay. It levels the playing field for everyone. It’s not fair to others if your awesomeness is so overpowering that no one else gets to share their awesomeness, too.4. Come up with a name that is easy to say and remember and won’t be easily forgotten. Remember, this will be the most important part of your identity. Be inspired by what already makes you amazing.5. Practice your superhero stance. This will come in handy when you are standing on rooftops looking over the city after another great adventure.6. Practice and prepare to face evil. Make sure to keep the innocent safe.​ This is exactly what CASA does. Jackson County CASA was founded by the Kansas City chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women to ensure that all abused and neglected children are given a voice in court. Their two main goals include: 1. securing a safe, permanent home for the child, and 2. advocating for appropriate medical, educational, and the therapeutic resources. CASA always makes sure that the child’s interest is protected in court. When I was offered the opportunity to become a superhero to help raise money for this amazing organization, I jumped at the chance. I mean, who doesn’t aspire to be a superhero?! On June 21, 2016, Chasing Stormi came to the rescue…. Superpower = spreading awesomeness with a smile, while inspiring others to be brave and step outside of their comfort zone. Weakness = being a people pleaser to the point of losing herself. Name = Chasing Stormi. Costume = Cape + Tutu + Mask + Hair Pom-Poms. Stance = chin up, hands on hips, resolved expression. Ready = always.#SurvivingOurStorms​#ChasingStormiAdventures

When I entered Chef Amber’s Bed and Breakfast I was immediately wowed by this petite woman full of energy and passion. Amber DiGiovanni was buzzing around making last minute preparations as I wondered around the living room looking at all of her pictures. The first one that caught my eye was of her in a showgirl outfit holding feathered fans. It immediately reminded me of my Vegas days. When I asked when she was a dancer she said she still was! This petite, blonde woman that reminded me of my Grandma Max is a one woman show. LITERALLY! When she’s not teaching cooking lessons, writing cook books, speaking, playing historian among so much more, this ball of fire is performing a one woman show portraying Miss Sally Rand! And she was going to continue to wow me for a whole hour while teaching me cooking tricks I never knew before! As we learned how to make Chicken in White Wine Cream Sauce, Garlic Herb Scones, and Bananas Foster we had interesting discussions on cooking tips. When boiling pasta do you add salt or not add salt? Add oil or not add oil? Which is healthier? Salt or sea salt and why? Did you know that you can find sea salt as far up as the Appalachian Mountains? Because if you think about it, the whole world was under water at one point. Did you know there’s even such a thing as black sea salt?...Would you like to save 1/3 of your asparagus? Simply peel the woody part that is so hard to eat to get to the delicious meat. I even learned that a potato can’t fix an overly salty soup, so remember once you salt you can’t go back…. We learned what utensils worked best for specific tasks and how to use them properly and oh so much more! We laughed, drank wine, and had a blast learning tricks of the trade for every day chores! I even made a new friend out of it. So when you get on Groupon be sure to get the Chef Amber Cooking Class voucher. You never know what tricks and secrets you’ll learn!

​ When having lunch with my favorite single gal pal, she mentioned something that peeked my interest. “Someone called me a man hater the other day,” she said. WHAT?! “Yeah. Someone called me a man hater the other day. I’m not a man hater. Just because I know what I want and deserve isn’t a bad thing. But if you’re being anything less I’m going to call you out on it!” As she should! As we ALL should! So why do we get the label of “man hater” because we know what we deserve and we won’t stand for anything less?... I believe we gain the “man hater” label when we become a little too hard to handle. When we’re no longer satisfied being in the submissive role. We don’t bow down just to be in a relationship. We know our worth and we settle for nothing less. We have our own mind and many of us are controlling our own destiny without relying on a man to produce it for us. So in reality, it’s not a “man hater” label we should gain. It’s a “not putting up with your misconception of me anymore” label. Some men LOVE that they have a partner that is strong and can hold their own. A partner who will challenge them without agreeing just to agree. A partner that can take care of herself, the whole family, neighbor kids, pets, work, and house duties all within less than 24 hours only to do it all over again the next day! Taking away any one or more things from this list does not mean they are any less of a partner of power either. It actually seems to be the men that can’t handle such power who are the ones that are handing out the “men hater” label to women. I mean, they have to have some excuse to share with their buddies why they haven’t been snatched up yet, because the truth doesn’t help make them shine. And for the girls that give the “man hater” label to their friends, co-workers, etc? Well, they do it because they haven’t learned how to be that powerful woman that knows what she deserves and won’t stand for anything less just yet. So how do we react to such obvious misconceptions of ourselves?...Well, we could call the person out and try to explain all the ways they are wrong, however, that will most likely fall on deaf ears. So why not smile and say, “Thank you.” And when they are taken back you can say, “It’s okay. You’ll find your power one day.” Maybe we will “man hate” until we find one we actually like. The one that is worthy to have us. Maybe we will “man hate” because we’re too busy making a difference and changing the world while enjoying friends, family, and life. Either way, I don’t mind “man hating” right now, because quite frankly I don’t deserve anything less than what I deserve. And neither do YOU!​#singlestormliving​#chasingstormi